A game that could've been great, mired by laziness
The concept of mercenaries in the Hundred Years War was particularly good. This gave an opportunity to jump around and see the war from all angles. Now if this very complicated and interesting period of time would've been given more than a cursory browse with the simplest of intentions that would've been a major boon. As it stands, the choice of nationality is whether you like 'Red' or 'Blue' better.
Taking control of different units is kind of fun. You can't really manage a battle alone (you'll get torn up pretty fast) but with a unit of swordsmen or cavalry, you're extremely deadly. There was nothing more satisfying than running down infantry with a well timed cavalry charge (just watch out for the spearmen!)
You've got some neat tricks up your sleeve too. As you go nuts and beat ass, you build up a meter that will allow you to unleash a 'bladestorm', that is a few moments of invincibility that allow you to cruise across the battlefield at an increased rate of speed. Watching people get taken down in that is also inspiring and armies fall pretty fast.
Stages are divided up by daylight hours. You fight through the day and when night falls, the fighting stops. Here you can regroup and check out the different movement of troops and pick a new location to start the next day from. Each mission has an objective and you can take care of these objectives pretty fast.
This is not always the best plan. As a mercenary, you're expected to score renown and glory. Taking the objective too quickly can hinder that. Taking fortresses and taking down enemy commanders is the way to go. This maximizes your efforts and nets you more money, renown and experience.
Though it has the feel of Dynasty Warriors, I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a lot like that. However, if you enjoyed that style of game, you'd love this. It's also like Ninety Nine Nights (without the head ache of 45 minute long missions).